Tue-Thu 5:30pm - 9:00pm |
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| Fine Italian Cuisine - Extensive Oregon Wine List | |||||
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Located
in old downtown McMinnville, Nick's Italian Café is
a more than 30-year-old legend...
an Oregon wine-country institution championed by winemakers and travelers
alike. In fact, Nick's grew up When Chef Nick Peirano started the restaurant, his father, Raymond, and mother, Georgia, helped in the early years. Today, his daughters, Carmen and Tomiko continue the tradition of family involvement. Nick's Italian Café serves a five-course, price-fixed dinner, although you are always welcome to choose fewer courses a la carte. This multi-course, fixed-menu-dinner format was borrowed from many fine restaurants in the North Beach section of San Francisco, where Nick -- a third generation Italian-American -- and his family often dined.
The
menu changes through the week according to the whim of the kitchen and the
seasons, and according to the availability of fresh goods and produce. No
matter the menu, however,
it is always designed with the delicious wines of the Willamette Valley in
mind. The Wine As a founding director of Oregon's world-renowned International Pinot Noir Celebration, Nick brings his ongoing involvement as board member and chef for this event to the choices he makes on the wine list of his restaurant. Pinot noir lovers are not likely to find a restaurant with a better selection, by the glass and by the bottle, including more than 85 Pinot noirs, many from older vintages. The caliber of the wine list at Nick's Italian Cafe is no accident. Nick's highly developed palate and his restaurant's central location to the wineries of the North Willamette Valley led to the wide selection regional wines for the restaurant's list. Add to that the near-celebrity status of Nick's wine-program manager Jim Biddle, and you begin to understand the respect this restaurant's wine list commands. The light of Jim's fame began to shine with his award-winning wine program at the legendary Atwaters restaurant, formerly located on the 30th-floor of downtown Portland's Bancorp Tower. Sadly, Atwaters was replaced by a trendier, upscale restaurant that takes its wine list less seriously. Happily for diners at Nick's (legendary in its own right), the wines on Nick's Wine List are now those selected by either Nick himself, or by Jim. Both employ extensive wine knowledge and a keen understanding of the importance of soil types and terroir as they seek distinctive premium wines. Some of the Oregon producers on Nick's wine list include:
Banquet and Catering Services Nick's offers both on-premise banquet facilities and off-premise catering services. The warmth of the banquet room features one-hundred-year-old brick walls with wainscoting, a room that also hosts evenings of live music (usually drawing from Portland's strong jazz scene) and occasional winemaker dinners. The Banquet Room comfortably seats 45 people for a served, multi-course dinner, but buffet and lighter meals are also available. While specializing in catering service for groups of 20 to 200, Nick's also caters in private homes, at the beautiful wineries in the Willamette Valley, and at variety of other feasible sites. "We'll gladly work with you to tailor a menu that suits the needs of your group." What They're Saying About Nick's
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with
the wine industry, quickly becoming a favorite gathering place for many of
the area's winemakers. The wine list at this wine-country hot spot
reflects that relationship. 
the
bountiful produce of the Pacific Northwest to create dishes reminiscent of
Northern Italy.
